The makings of HomeQuarters
by Maroon-dragon
Summary: The team is at a new place and the start of HomeQuarters is made. The tension between Sean and Alex run high and will she run to another man for comfort? Starts as Salex...goes to Balex
1. starry skies

**While I am still working on "The perfect gift" I wanted to do something different as well….still Balex because I absolutely love them, but mostly because the story has been developing in a new way and I rather like the thought of writing about the building of Homequarters. Not sure whether I will be using Sean/Ryan as a couple again though….what do you guys think? I will start out with Salex though so the story will once again be following the exact path of the previous episodes.**

"Alex when I said: you are buying the next house, I didn't mean an entire hotel." Birkhoff commented as the whole group looked at the building in front of them.

"You are exaggerating, it isn't that big." In truth it hadn't been a hotel but a resort. It meant there were quite a few rooms that were comfortably decorated for sleeping, a pool, an already installed camera system, a large room to set up as common space, a great kitchen.

"Yeah Nerd, quit whining. I like this five star treatment." Nikita joked as she passed him to enter the house.

"I wasn't whining, it's just not what I expected." He grumbled as he followed the rest. The resort was perfectly placed as it was surrounded by a thick forest. They really couldn't have picked a better place.

"How did you find this place Alex?" Michael asked as he dumped a couple of bags in the entrance hall. The hall immediately connected with a large room, which clearly had been a bar of some sort. Little tables were still standing here and there and the bar in question was covered with a cloth to protect the surface from damage. It was spacious and had hardly any windows because the main form of light was a large glass dome with a chandelier hanging from its central point. It all reminded Birkhoff vaguely of the Titanic movie, not that he would ever admit to knowing that.

"It's a need to know basis really. The really rich people used to come here until they found out there were swamps in the surrounding forests. They usually come here to hunt so that kind of ruined the fun…and the business. It hasn't been on the market yet because I found the owner before he could do that." She walked to a room in the back and turned on a few levers, connecting the main power station to all the other things in the building. Soon the chandelier was throwing sparkling streams of light through the room. "Big enough for a main room right? There are 8 suits in total. The resort wasn't built for many guests at the same time. They all have their own bathrooms and small living rooms attached. There is a library down the hall and a pool downstairs. The kitchen is that way." Alex said pointing in a couple of directions. After the packing and traveling everyone had done, they were glad to just head upstairs and settle in. To Birkhoff his surprise Ale didn't follow Sean into the room he had picked, but instead took the one next to it. He decided not to think about it anymore in favor of taking a hot shower.

They had acquired a couple of new computers before they headed over to the new "house" which were still in boxes in the new main room. He looked at them with a sigh, he was too tired for this. The computers needed to be up and running so he could keep tabs on everything and make sure they were blocked from Division their eyes, but it was a lot of work to make sure everything was connected. He just wished he could go upstairs and fall back into his bed like the rest of them, but he was the computer genius and therefor responsible for this. "Want some help with that?" He turned around to find Alex standing behind him munching on a sandwich.

"As long as you don't spill any mayonnaise on them." She gave him a smile that said she understood he was grateful for the offer.

"Where do you exactly want to put them?" She asked grabbing one of the boxes.

"I am not sure yet, I need a bigger table first, I can't work with those smaller round ones." He looked around, trying to find a suitable replacement.

"There is a big mahogany desk in the library, I don't think anyone else will be using that one." As it turned out the desk was also extremely heavy. While it was a beautiful thing, Birkhoff still cursed it.

"Damnit!" He yelped as a stray loose piece of wood imbedded itself in his finger.

"You alright?" Alex asked who put down her part of the desk.

"Yes, just a splinter." He grumbled, pulling out the piece with his teeth. He grabbed the desk once again, making sure he avoided the place he had just placed his hand. The going was slow but once it was standing he found it commanded the attention in the room. It truly was fitting for the Shadow Walker.

"Not that I do not appreciate the help Alex, but why exactly are you here instead of upstairs like the rest of them?" They were setting up the screens and connecting them.

"You are just as tired as us, even with your energy drinks. This needs to be done and it doesn't necessarily take you to do it. I wanted to help." He gave her a grateful smile for not forgetting that he was just as human as the rest of them, even if he never admitted it. With Alex her help the computers were soon up and running and a general system-check was done.

"Well I'm going to bed, you coming?" The younger female threw him a smile from the couch she was currently inhabiting.

"No I think I'll stay down here. I never sleep well in a strange place. I just need to get used to it." She looked so small and lonely and Birkhoff nearly kicked himself for what he was about to do.

"Well then I'll just keep you company." He crashed on the couch across from her, making himself comfortable.

"Birkhoff you don't have to do that."

"No it's fine, we can share secrets and all that crap." He moved the pillow beneath his head. "Which reminds me with that phone hack what was that about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh please your whole act at Division: Gee Birkhoff that workaround you figured out is just genius." He did a very high fake imitation of Alex and suddenly she remembered what he was talking about.

"One: I do not talk like that. Two: I put a transmitter in your pocket so I could listen in on what happened in operations when you pushed my aside. I can't believe you remembered that."

"You actually bugged me!" He faked an affronted look. "I'm impressed. And how often do you think the recruits came up to me telling me how brilliant I am, of course I remember."

"Well I didn't lie, it was pretty brilliant."

"Wow the one thing that was actually true, considering you know a lot more about computers than any of those other idiots and you were pretending to be just as stupid." She laughed.

"Well I could hardly tell you Nikita already trained me in everything."

"Oh please, I know you stepped in when I was away. You are better than Nikita, but not as good as me of course." She threw a pillow at him and was rewarded with an oomph as it landed on his stomach.

"Learn how to take a compliment woman." He grumbled, using the extra pillow to support his head.

"Learn how to curb your ego nerd." She shot back.

"How can I stop it if you continue to praise my awesomeness." If she wasn't so comfortable she would have thrown a second pillow at him.

"What do you think about this Home-quarters idea Michael and Nikita have?" She had been questioning the idea the moment they had put it on the table. The stars were just barely visible through the glass dome above her, but it still made her feel small and insignificant in this world.

"Well I don't know about you but I am not really trained for anything but this. After this life I do not really feel like becoming a boring guy who fixes peoples cables."

"You could go back to being Shadow Walker?" She speculated.

"Yes and trigger another alarm or another organization like Gogol or Division. No thanks. What about you? Live on some faraway island with your navy seal? You have the money for it."

"I don't know. You guys are my friends and I don't think I can ever really get close to other people without having to tell them where I came from. If Nikita and Michael make Home-quarters a more permanent thing we might actually be able to help people the way Division once meant to do. Without the turn kids into assassins thing of course." They shared a small smile at that.

"That is if we survive this whole thing. I mean we have at least some sort of deity looking out for us with the bouts of luck we have had." It was a harsh reality that some of them may not survive it.

"I was thinking about that and I was wondering if you could train me with the computers?"

"So you think I am the first one to go?" He joked, trying to lift the once again heavy tension.

"No, but currently you are the only one capable of doing those things…if we lose you we lose a lot more than if we lost me or something." It was a very clinical approach to the problem.

"If we lost you it would be just as important Alex. Hell Nikita was taking extreme risks when Michael was on the other side of the world, I don't want to know what she would do if she actually lost on of you. You are like a sister to her."

"I know but skills wise you guys wouldn't lose much. With you we would not only lose a friend but also an important asset. So can you teach me, so I can step in if you get hurt?"

"If we have time for it, yes I can teach you." She would probably be the best one to take over anyway. "What does Sean think about fighting after this is over?"

"I don't know, we haven't really had time to talk yet." She let out a sigh, she had absolutely no idea where Sean and her really stood.

"You know it doesn't take a genius to figure out you are unhappy about something. I thought you liked Seal six?" Birkhoff was actually rather surprised they were having such a deep conversation, but at the same time he and Alex had been becoming better friends. They had the same humor, which often wasn't appreciated by Michael or Nikita. Some people really didn't get sarcasm.

"I do, but I am just not sure what we are exactly."

"With the way you were going at it in the back of the car I'd say it's pretty obvious what you guys are. You didn't talk when we were at Ryan his place?"

"No, we were never alone there. Let's just drop it okay, I'm sure I'll be able to talk to Sean tomorrow and sort everything out." And with that they just stayed silent, enjoying the view of the clear sky outside.

**AN: Not my best I think and I promise you I will try to write the next chapter for the perfect gift tomorrow….well later today as it's past midnight.**


	2. all set

**AN Chapter two for this story. I am happy you guys liked the start :D I hope I can keep it up. Seriously what do you guys think about the last ep? I mean I expected them to have Alex kiss Sean but Birkhoff kiss Nikita? Come on! Sorry for the delay of this chapter btw. I had to go home and I forgot to take the file with me so I could work on it. **

They had made it out alive. It still baffled Nikita as she looked at her friends. Sean was sporting a wound to the shoulder and Alex was recovering from a bullet in her leg. Her small concussion from the explosion and Michael his dislocated shoulder were nothing in comparison. Still, they were alive. It had been a minimal chance once they were compromised. It had been Birkhoff his talents on the computer and his illegal gadgets that had gotten them out. His unmanned aircrafts had shot almost every agent who came close to the barn Alex and Sean had been in and thanks to the help from the air the two agents had been able to get to the air vent to get her and Michael out. The world was safe once again. Well, safer at least.

Thy were currently celebrating their survival with a delicious meal from Ryan who had joined them once again at the house. Alcohol wasn't really an option, but they were happy enough without it. Laughter flowed around the table as everyone enjoyed themselves. Talking about fun things instead of missions and murders. Nikita smiled as she took in the sight of Birkhoff throwing food across the table into Alex her waiting mouth, getting a lot of laughter when she missed. Birkhoff later confessed that the kiss hadn't meant much. He just had been fantasizing about if for so many years that he just didn't want to be left with the question; what if? Plus, he had added, he had loved the look on Michael his face. They were close friends, but that was all. A warm hand wrapped itself around her own and she looked to her side where she found Michael smiling. They had taken enormous risks on the last mission. While every mission was a risky thing, this one had nearly made their future together obsolete. She squeezed his hand: They had after all made it.

They moved the party to the living room, when slowly but surely everyone left for bed. The only people left downstairs were Birkhoff and Alex. Sometimes Nikita wondered if the genius liked Alex more than he let on. It didn't matter however as the girl was happily involved with the tall navy seal. One day the snarky man would find someone who loved him back.

Alex woke up the next morning with a blanket covering her. The only other person in the room was Birkhoff, who was already working away on the computers. She was rather comfortable on the couch and decided to just lie there for a while. The tapping noise of the genius his fingers on the keyboard made her focus her attention on the blond man. While he was her friend and they had been living under the same roof for a couple of weeks now she never really had looked at him. Perhaps it was because he usually hid behind the computers, but it probably had more to do that she just didn't see him like that. He wasn't what you would call handsome really. With male models like Sean and Michael walking around you would think twice before thinking of Birkhoff as handsome. Yet there was something about him that made him appealing. He wasn't very tall, which made him less intimidating than the others, but he was strong. He trained just as much as the rest of them. He was cute she supposed. The type of guy you went to for comfort. She almost snorted at that; Birkhoff comforting someone. It wasn't that he was incapable of it, but you had to see past the snarky attitude first. That was a rather unfortunate thing, because most females would probably not wait ages to get anywhere with someone like him. For a really handsome guy like Michael they might, but women were usually put off if the person they were interested in was constantly on defense mode.

"You should take a picture sweetheart, it will last longer." He shot her a grin, knowing full well she had been staring at him.

"Didn't you know I already have one of you and it's put in my journal with hearts around it." She shot back, getting herself a chuckle in response.

"Don't let Seal Six hear you."

"Don't let me hear what?" Said Navy Seal questioned as he entered the room.

"Nothing, Birkhoff and I were just joking." Alex told him as she leaned in for a kiss which she of course got. Sean shot the nerd a suspicious look, but left it at that. The look rather startled Birkhoff; what did Sean think he was up too? Suspicious bastard. Alex however didn't see it.

"How is your shoulder?" She asked checking the dressing for droplets of blood, finding it a pure white.

"It's fine, the pills help with the pain well enough. No need to drug me again." He joked as they walked out of the room. Birkhoff followed them with his eyes. He wished he was allowed to drug the guy again, at least then he was actually funny.

"Sean, can we talk?" Alex questioned as she sank down on one of the lounge chairs outside. Her leg was really killing her.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked as he took the chair next to her. He grabbed one of her hands, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it with his thumb.

"About us…I just don't know what exactly expect from me…" her uncertainty was clearly visible in her face.

"What do you mean: what I expect of you? I just want you to be you Alex." He frowned at her, as if the whole question was just preposterous.

"I just sometimes get the idea, you don't really know me…"

"Of course I know you Alex. You are strong, independent, beautiful, smart and funny."

"That's just it. I'm not always that strong and independent and…" She was cut off by his lips on hers.

"And I will still love you." He murmured. "I need to go help Michael with something, we are fine right?" She gave a nod as a reply. When she was sure he was out of sight she let her tears fall. How could he love her if he wasn't sure who she was? He had called her beautiful; didn't he know that that beauty only was skin deep. She was scarred underneath from everything that happened after her parents had been murdered. There were things she would never forget. Sean had his own demons, but he had never been degraded the way she had been. He had lost loved ones and he had lost battles, but most of those had been fair fights. She had not been able to truly fight back before Nikita had come along. While she had certainly come a long way from those dark days, she still had her bad days. When the memories were relived and she just wanted to cry in someone their arms. Nikita had been that person for a while until Michael had come into the picture.

Alex did not feel cheated when Nikita focused her attention on Michael that much. Normally keeping a relationship was tricky enough, but with this team they needed extreme amounts of work to fix it. She just wished for the same thing. Someone who looked at her and saw the good and the bad and still loved her. She had been an adult for most of her teenage years, sometimes the young girl that was in her still needed to get out.

Maybe she just didn't give Sean enough time. She wasn't easy to get to know and he did genuinely care about her. Wiping a few stray tears from her face, she took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine.

"You okay Alex?" Birkhoff stood in the opening of the doorway and she knew he saw her red, puffy eyes.

"Not yet, but I'm sure it will be." She gave him a watery smile, but he didn't seem convinced. He dropped it however and handed her a few pills which she realized were her pain medication.

"You forgot those." He muttered, heading back inside. If only Sean was as considerate as her favorite nerd was. Then she would be all set.

**AN sorry one again for the delay. Hope you guys like it. Please review :D**


	3. The new Division

**AN well I finished "the perfect gift" so here is my continuation of "the makings of homequarters". Hope you all enjoy it. **

It was over. Alex still hadn't gotten onto terms with that. Percy was death, division was in Ryan his hands and they were going to use it for the greater good this time. It was all a lot to take in. Their second time going to division to get there before the navy's would interfere. It was over…god how great that sounded.

Well it sounded great until Nikita came in with the 'here we go again' message. Alex knew she would stay, that she would fight and work as hard as she could to fix the broken machine that was Division. That didn't mean she had to like it though. She needed a vacation from all the stress. With Division out of her way she might actually be able to do just that. She and Sean might be able to go somewhere and get to know each other. Get to know the person outside of stress and running. He groaned as her arm was jostled in the sling as she moved out of the way for someone in the hallway. She was on her way to the old operation booth. Her leg had only just healed when they went after Percy and now her arm was also damaged. Thankfully it had been a clean break and the damage of the shocks had been limited as well. It mostly resulted in a couple of ugly burns in her neck from the sparks.

She found the whole team in the old booth, which Birkhoff didn't particularly seem to like. "This place was like Shadownet Paradise, why did Amanda change it into a glorified office?" he asked her as she sat between him and Sean.

"Oh stop complaining Birkhoff, I'm sure Ryan will let you build an entire computer-kingdom when he gets started on the remodeling." She teased him.

"I want a vacation first. Living with you guys sure isn't good for my health." He grumbled.

"you mean you actually go out in the sun?" she shot back.

"I'll have you know…" he was interrupted by a well-aimed cough from Michael. Everyone in the room had apparently been following them with amusement.

"Now we have the computer geeks their attention as well, can we please go back to the reason we are here?" The two had the decency to look a little ashamed of themselves.

Ryan took the lead from there. Outlining different plans he had made for Division. They were rather regular plans really. Explaining to the recruits all the bad jobs that had been performed by Division to make sure they had no doubts about the criminal side of the black opps. Making sure they all knew they could stay on the team or leave to try and get a normal life. Those that left of course were supplied with money, legal passports and help in how to survive in the 'real' world. Then he came to the rather unorthodox plans. "I want to remodel the building." Ryan told them.

"What like paint it in bright, happy colors?" Sean remarked, not impressed by the idea.

"No, not entirely at least. This is after all a serious business, but I want the recruits to have a place where they can relax and give the rooms a more personal touch. A common room of sorts." The idea wasn't so bad, but still the idea of the recruits sitting around the television watching sports seemed rather ridiculous.

"Where do you want to put it? Are there any rooms in Division that aren't being used?" Nikita questioned.

"Well I was thinking Amanda her office." He looked at the people there with apprehension.

"Oh no, I am not going in there unless I am held under gun point!" Birkhoff protested, Alex grabbed his hand in support. He off all people had the worst memories when it came to Amanda.

"We remodel it entirely and you do not need to help if you don't want to. I do have to say that those rooms are the only ones that are big enough for a plan such as this. I know you all have your own bad memories of that place, but this is a chance to create some good memories in there." The genius really did know how to give a pep-talk.

"Fine, do whatever you want. I just want nothing to do with that project." Birkhoff muttered in defeat. Alex frowned at him. She understood where he was coming from, but she had whished he would try to get past that. She and the rest of them left the office after that and she quickly pulled Sean with her back to 'her' room.

"I was thinking…maybe we could go on a little vacation together. Forget about Division and all that."

"That sounds great, I could use a little time relaxing at the beach." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Well I was thinking more about something like Paris. I always wanted to see the Louvre and the Eifel tower." She smiled at him. The thought of sitting still on a beach did nothing for her. Not to mention the scarring she had from the bullet wounds she had suffered. Being shot in the same leg twice didn't do much good for your skin. It would look horrendous in a bikini.

"Paris isn't really the warmest place I could think off. Come on, we can always go sightseeing some other time. This is about relaxing, not forcing our brains into more activity."

"I like sightseeing." She argued back.

"Well it's just not how I want to spend the little free time we have." He was getting annoyed with her, she could tell.

"Well it happens to be the way I want to spend mine!"

"Then just take someone else with you, because I am not spending my time in a stuffy museum!" They were yelling now.

"FINE, maybe I will!" Was her departing shot as she slammed the door behind her. Nikita, who was just coming down the hallway with Michael shot her an incredulous look. Michael just looked amused at what was going on. "Don't say a word." Alex growled as she stormed past them.

She found the person she was looking for in his own room working on his laptop. "Alex, what the.."

"Just distract me okay. I am very pissed off right now." She fell down on his bed, massaging her temples.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was your servant. What the hell happened?" He twirled around in his chair to face her.

"It's stupid. I just wanted to go on a fun holiday with Sean. Do some sightseeing, you know. Yet it seems that all he wants to do is lie on a beach until he gets skin cancer." She groaned. It sounded ridiculous in her own ears that she was so upset about it. "And then he told me that if I wanted to that so much I should just take someone else with me."

"Then why don't you?" Birkhoff questioned the upset woman on his bed.

"What do you mean? I can't just take someone else…can I?"

"Of course you can! Make him a little jealous by having a great vacation. You shouldn't let him spoil it." He turned back to his laptop.

"Why don't you come with me?" That had him turning around quicker than the chair probably liked.

"Well for one I have a job to do here and for two I doubt the navy seal would like you going on a vacation with another dude, even if it is platonic."

"Come on Birkhoff, you do not want to work on the remodeling project and they have Sonya to manage things computer wise. Plus, I thought you said I should make him jealous. If taking you on this trip does that than that will be just two birds with one stone." All her anger seemed to have vanished.

"I'm sorry but what would be the second bird exactly?" He asked warily.

"I will get to have a great vacation with one of my best friends. So will you pleaaaaase come?" How could he refuse those big brown eyes anything.

"Fine, but the seats better be first class and paid by you." He grumbled.

"That's all fine, I'll go tell Ryan and book the tickets for Paris." She rushed out of the room before he could stop her. They were going to the city of love? God, Michael was never going to let him live this down. They were just friends for gods sake.

**AN: Sorry for the late update, I have been quite busy and I don't think the next update will be there till at least Monday. **


	4. Jealousy is a sin

**AN well here is the next chapter, sorry for the delay. **

The click of the door alerted Birkhoff to someone else in the room which made him turn around. He would have expected Michael or Nikita, maybe even Ryan, but never had he expected Sonya to visit him in his room. She seemed irritated about something and that made him even more confused. What was up with the women in Division these days?

"Can I help you with something?" he questioned her when she stayed quiet.

"I heard some interesting news today" she began, which made Birkhoff realize it probably wasn't good news. "Apparently you are taking a holiday, with Alexandra…in Paris." Ah, so that was what her problem is.

"Yes, I don't see the problem. Alex wanted a companion for the trip so she asked me, I said yes because I need a break and she is my friend." He shrugged his shoulders hoping the issue was put to rest now.

"Oh really, there is no problem with that? Have you ever given it a thought on how it makes me look…or feel?" Why was it that her lowered voice was scarier than when Nikita screamed at him.

"What are you talking about? It's just a vacation with a friend. People do it all the time." He was getting annoyed now. What right did she have to judge him on what he did or didn't do.

"I am talking about you kissing me in front of almost everyone from division only to go on a vacation with an entirely different girl!" She hissed back at him. "Everyone seems to have gotten word of your little trip. I am not some common whore you can kiss whenever you want to only to drop me for someone else!"

"Now wait a minute, just because we kissed once doesn't mean you have some kind of claim on me. And what are you on about: " Dropping you for someone else"? Alex is still in a relationship with Sean in case you haven't noticed….we are_ just friends_." He enunciated the last words as if talking to a child.

"Oh please, if she was still happy with that seal she would have taken him to Paris, not you." She crossed her arms defensivly.

"Please keep your nose out of her business Sonya, I never thought of you as such a jealous bitch."

"You seem rather defensive of her Seymour, I think I have a right to be a "jealous Bitch" " the darker skinned woman growled.

"Of course I am defensive of her, we have fought together god damnit and that is more than I can say of you! There is nothing between us Sonya. You are hot, but that doesn't mean we immediately start some sort of relationship! I was willing to give you a chance, but right now the odds are strongly against it." He pulled the door open for her. "If I hear you slander Alex her name in any way, I will make sure your time at Division is at an end. Take this vacation as a time to think, we will talk again after I come back. Got it?" He made a sweeping motion with his arm to indicate that she should leave.

"Crystal, Seymour." He slammed the door behind her and leaned against it. Sometimes women were more trouble than they were worth. Why did everyone think there was something going on between him and Alex? First Sean and now Sonya. Okay, he understood how it sounded; going to Paris with a pretty female. He however did not see the problem of being close with Alex. Like he had told Sonya, they had both been in the fight against Division and that created a bond. The same way he was close to Michael and Nikita. There was nothing wrong with that. Even if they didn't understand that they certainly had eyes didn't they? How could anyone see him with someone as insanely beautiful as Alex? She was a foreign beauty with a lot of money in her bank account, he was a typical looking nerd and no one knew he was rich. So how did they ever get the idea that something could happen between him and Alex? They were idiots, the whole lot of them.

"Okay, explain to me again why you and Birkhoff are going to Paris?" Michael questioned Alex once again as he and Nikita watched her pack. He neatly averted his eyes when she packed her lingerie. 'Birkhoff would have a heart attack if he ever saw Alex in one of those.' Michael thought as he caught a glimpse of green satin.

Alex sighed, getting quite irritated at the judging looks she had been receiving all day. "I wanted to see Paris and Sean didn't feel like going there, so I asked Birkhoff instead. I am allowed to hang out with guys that aren't my boyfriend, you know. Birkhoff is a good friend and it will be fun getting away from Division for a while." She moved past Nikita who was standing against one of the cabinets to grab her hairbrush and a few pieces of jewelry.

"You could have asked me, I'm your friend as well." Nikita told her smugly, having caught Alex in het preference to Birkhoff. Alex scoffed in reply.

"No offence to you two, but you have become a package deal. If I asked you I'd immediately get Michael as well, and you can't both be away from Division now. Birkhoff and I will not be missed as much if we go away for a week or two."

"Doesn't Paris sound a little too romantic to take just a friend? You know the rest of Division will speculate about you two. Sonya won't be happy." Michael interrupted.

"Let them, we all know the truth. Sonya has nothing to fear from me, besides she is not even dating Seymour yet so she has no claim." She zipped up her bag after checking her passport and such were all sorted.

"Now can we stop talking about it for the hundredth time? More importantly can I take your handbag with the special gun compartment with me? Just in case of course. I just don't want to be stopped at the border for carrying a gun." Nikita gave her consent and pulled Michael with her out of the room. A few hours later the bag was in Alex her room. It had a special compartment that wasn't visible if you x-rayed it so the gun would not be noticed.

Alex sighed as she fell back down on her bed. Tomorrow morning she and Birkhoff would board the plane towards Paris for two glorious weeks of fun. A small niggling part in the back of her head told her that there might be some truth in what everyone was saying. Perhaps it wasn't smart to take Birkhoff with her to a city known for the romantic scene. Not because she was attracted to him. That was just a ridiculous thing, she loved Sean. She would never cheat, but it might make things uncomfortable as Birkhoff was very much single.

Birkhoff had Sonya though, didn't he? It would be fine, just fine. So what if some people thought there was something going on between them. Just because they saw smoke didn't mean there was a fire. She turned around on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. It was nearly midnight now and she should sleep. Their plane would leave around seven am, which meant getting up in a couple of hours. She would hate it if their journey started off with a bad vibe because she was cranky. Let people talk, she decided. They knew the truth; there was nothing going on.

Birkhoff put in their bags in the back of the car as Alex said goodbye to Nikita and Michael. He rolled his eyes, they would be gone for two weeks, not two months. He donned his shades and walked over to where they were standing. "Ready to go sunshine?" he questioned, checking his watch to see how much time they still had before they needed to be at the airport.

"I still don't see why you won't just use the private plane." Michael grumbled, he hated getting out of bed early, but Nikita had forced him.

"Because I want to be able to do normal things for a while. That does not include private jets." Alex answered with a smile pulling the older man in for a hug.

"You are filthy rich you know, private jets could easily be "normal" for you. You get used to it, I'm sure." Nikita joked.

"Alex do tell me we have at least first class seats." Birkhoff groaned, he should have done the booking.

"Stop grumbling Birkhoff, I did get first class seats. God knows I do not need to have you whining the entire journey." Alex shot back.

"Excuse me, I do not whine. I just point out the obvious."

" Sorry captain obvious, but I do not need to have it pointed out to me on such a long flight."

"Ah Birkhoff, who knows, you might be able to join the mile high club." Michael interrupted the two before they went into full argue mode. They could do that when Michael wasn't around.

"Who says I don't already belong to the club." The other man shot back, getting an incredulous look from Michael.

"Just go you two." Nikita shooed them to the car. If they kept this up they would miss the plane entirely. As the two agents drove off Michael came to stand next to her. "Can we go to bed now? It's early and I want to get some more sleep."

"Oh I know a few things we can do that involve very little sleep." Nikita teased him. "but if you prefer your rest…" she was silenced by a kiss, all thoughts of Birkhoff and Alex forgotten.

**AN: Hope to get the next one up a little sooner. Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions for the story. **


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